1947 – 1994
John Boswell (1947–1994) was an American historian at Yale University who specialized in medieval European history and the history of Christianity. He is best known for his controversial scholarship on the historical relationship between the Catholic Church and homosexuality, arguing that early Christianity was far more tolerant of same-sex relations than later church teaching suggested. His work sparked significant debate among historians, theologians, and ethicists.
Authored Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (1980), winner of the National Book Award
Authored Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe (1994), examining historical rites of same-sex union in the Church
Pioneered the historical study of homosexuality within medieval Christian institutions
Chaired the Yale History Department and shaped the field of medieval social history
Contributed primary source scholarship reexamining Church attitudes toward sexual ethics across centuries